Word spread yesterday that workers were removing the sidewalk bridge from around Mariana Bracetti Plaza, the 7-story NYCHA-run housing complex on Third Street and Fourth Street along Avenue C.
There were momentary cheers, as tenant advocates have blamed the longstanding sidewalk structures for the increase in illegal activities here in recent years.
As resident Kanielle Hernandez told EVG contributor Stacie Joy in January:
Landlords put up these dark ugly scaffolds as a resolution instead of actual repairs. Then they stay up for years without any actual work being done. But someone is getting paid to have these sidewalk bridges just up with no real purpose. It creates dark hidden places for illegal activity.With the sidewalk bridges came more and more and more homeless, drug addicts and alcoholics. The money being spent to have these useless sidewalk bridges up should be used to actually improve the building conditions.
Upon arriving at the complex yesterday, Stacie learned that the sidewalk bridge will be rebuilt, with workers replacing the rotting wooden planks...
According to DOB records, permits for a sidewalk shed date here to December 2000. (Reason: "loose brick.") There are records of permits for the installation of a sidewalk bridge in March 2003 ... April 2004 (for "remedial repairs") ... August 2015 ... and October 2017. (A Google Streetview shows a structure in place continuously back to 2016.)
And some scenes from yesterday's work...
Tonight, Community Board 3's NYCHA & Section 8 Housing Subcommittee will discuss the conditions at the Mariana Bracetti Plaza housing complex.
Previously on EV Grieve:
12 comments:
It is so baffling to me that the city lets these stay up so long. Why don't they just fine the building owners to the point that they fix the issues or sell the building? 3rd and C and Houston and B are such prime examples of buildings that should not be vacant!
Why don't they fix the loose bricks and then remove the scaffold?
@Neighbor, hello!!! This IS a city owned building!
This is absurd. They need to fix the problem and finally get rid of the sidewalk bridges.
Again, city owned and controlled = JOKE
Most people have no idea how expensive it is to keep those structures in place. Our small building had to have temporary scaffolding put up to fix something on our façade a few years ago, and it was hundreds of dollars for a small (narrow) scaffold that was up for LESS THAN a month.
For the $$$ the city has spent for these long-term structures, it could have - and certain SHOULD HAVE - fixed the actual building problems long ago.
Follow the money. Who's getting rich from the extraordinarily extended amount of time these structures are in place at Bracetti Plaza?
Next do Village View!
I agree! So sick of these scaffolding. We had it off for a few days before they came back up.
It needs to be illegal to leave these up for more than a year, unless there's active construction.
There needs to be a time limit on these scaffolds. The Department of Buildings is an antiquated, landlord-friendly, mediocracy. Maybe the City Council could intervene with this. DOB will never change on its own.
what the fuck??? another three years?????
RE: 8:32pm "There needs to be a time limit on these scaffolds. The Department of Buildings is an antiquated, landlord-friendly, mediocracy"
This is a NYC owned property!
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